A Tour of the World of Piano

A Tour of the World of Piano The Guide to the Best Pianists in the World ChaptersThe Best Pianists of All TimeThe Most Popular Piano SongsFamous Piano ComposersThe Best French PianistsPiano Vocabulary“The piano ain’t got no wrong notes.” - Thelonious MonkPiano ownership in the UK varies greatly according to social class. You'll see how obvious this is if you look at how much some of the instruments can cost. The price of a Steinway or Yamaha grand piano might make your eyes water.However, you don’t need to spend a fortune to learn about classical piano or modern piano music.For one, upright pianos are cheaper than grand pianos and you don't necessarily need to buy a new piano if you're just starting out. Of course, the strings will probably need tuning by a piano technician if you get a second-hand piano that hasn't been played in a while.That said, you don't necessarily have to buy an acoustic piano. You can always opt for a digital piano or a keyboard as they tend to be much more affordable.Of course, before you start eyeing up that Kawai piano for sale, you should probably learn more about the piano itself. Learning to play the piano involves learning about musical culture in the same way that you’d learn about the culture of a certain country when you study a language.In this article, we’re going to have a look at piano virtuosos throughout the centuries as well as the most beautiful piano music.The piano gets to be in the centre of the stage, where it belongs. (Source: WikiImages)Since the piano is a moving musical instrument, there are a variety of famous pieces that are suitable for absolute beginners and others that are reserved just for the very best pianists.Mozart, Turkish March: A classical music classic. This is not really one of the easiest songs to play for beginners.Beethoven, Fur Elise: This piece is probably better suited to beginners. Can you play it by ear?Renaud, Mistral Gagnat: What would this fantastic French song be without the piano chords? Far from chamber music, this contemporary piece will giv e you the chills.Ludovico Einaudi, Divenire: This piece was featured on the film Intouchable and will definitely move you. Why not try to play one of Ludovico Einaudi’s pieces for yourself?Ray Charles, Hit the Road Jack: To practise your rhythm and timing, there’s nothing better than jazz classics. This piece has a tempo that beginners can have a go at.Toto, Hold the Line: While the cadence is quite complicated to follow in this song and the right-hand and left-hand parts require a lot of concentration, it’s worth having a go of if you fancy a challenge.Alicia Keys, If I Ain’t Got You: This piece from the talented singer Alicia Keys is great for those wanting to work on both their piano playing and their voice.Adele, Someone Like You: If you prefer pop music, this song by Adele is a must. A lot of her songs are great for pianists.Yann Tiersen, Comptime d’un autre  Ã©té l’après-midi: The simple and moving piano pieces from this French pianist were featured in the unforg ettable soundtrack for the film Amélie and the artist regularly performs them live.Maurane, Le prélude de Bach: This singer with an unforgettable voice was accompanied by a great piano piece.Whether you like classical music, contemporary pop, or jazz, you’ll find plenty of interesting piano pieces that’ll get stuck in your head. LouisPiano Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlisonPiano Teacher £32/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErenPiano Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BarbaraPiano Teacher £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Chi yuenPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomPiano Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtiePiano Teacher £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DanielPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsFamous Piano ComposersWhen you talk about the piano, you have to talk about the famous composers, those wh o are often some of the best pianists at the same time.The piano is a colourful instrument, which is why so many composers favour it. (Source: b1-foto)Don’t be shocked to see some of our greatest pianists make another appearance on our list! Here are some of the greatest composers of all time:Joannes Brahms: This composer and conductor was often compared to Beethoven, much to his dismay.Ludwig van Beethoven: He started composing at the age of 12 and his works continued to evolve over time.Joseph Haydn: Considered the father of symphony, he also instigated the shift from baroque music to Romantic music.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: the epitome of genius! Although he died young, he left behind 600 musical works!Robert Schumann: He recreated poems musically and was an absolutely fantastic composer.Frédéric Chopin: An unparalleled pianist and composer, Chopin was a spontaneous creator and could spend hours locked in a room with the sole goal of creating music for his wife, George Sand (r eal name Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin).Piotr Ilyich Tchaïkovski: You can’t talk about the best composers without mentioning Tchaïkovski. The composer was at the forefront of Romanticism and known for his eclecticism.Giuseppe Verdi: The Italian school also had its fair share of talented composers, including Verdi who created many operas that are still performed today. He was notably influenced by Wagner even though the two were contemporaries.Ludovico Einaudi: We have to also include Ludovico Einaudi, a contemporary composer, in this list. He’s known for his minimalist melodies that are found in films such as Mommy.I could have also added Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Chostakovitch, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninov.The Best French PianistsWe need to give a special mention to some of the amazing pianists from across the channel. Let’s have a look at some of the greatest French composers! If you want to see some pianists from closer to home, check out our article on the best British pianis ts.Once you know who the greatest pianists are, you'll be inspired to start writing your own music! (Source: kdasomee1)The country is full to the brim with talented pianists. Here’s a quick list of some to check out:Yann Tiersen: We mentioned him previously for comptine d’un autre été l’après-midi. Yann Tiersen is a pianist, violinist, and accordionist. He’s got more than just one trick up his sleeve!Khatia Buniatishvili: While Khatia is actually Georgian, she became a naturalised French citizen in 2017, effectively making her viable for this list.Christian Ivaldi: Having studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, it’s hardly surprising to see Ivaldi in this list. While approaching the age of 80, he’s still a professor of piano.Marielle and Katia Labèque: These two sisters play the piano with four hands as a duo.David Kadouch: The prodigy played at Carnegie Hall in New York aged just 13. Need we say more?Dominique Merlet: In addition to being a talented pianist, he’s a lso a consultant and educator for young artists around the world.Marguerite Long: A friend of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, she created, along with Jacques Thibaud, the Concours International Long-Thibaud, an international music competition.Bertrand Chamayou: At the age of 15, Chamayou played his first recitals and performances and won 4 prizes at the Victoires de la musique classique classical music awards.Erik Satie: He was kicked out of the Conservatoire as he was judged to have no talent. Have a listen and you’ll quickly see that this isn’t the case.If you have a quick look online, you can also find plenty of other amazing pianists with checking out.Of course, we couldn’t fit them all in just the one article! Find piano lessons London.Piano VocabularyIf you want to really get to know the great pianists, you need to learn how to play the piano. Additionally, you’ll need to know what the words and vocabulary mean.AllegroAllegro comes from Italian and means cheerful. It means to play fast, quickly, and bright.HomophonyThis is when different parts are supported by other parts that flesh out the harmony.